Green Bay Packers: Defensive changes will be applauded

The reports have been light on details, but news that the Green Bay Packers will make changes on their beleaguered defense was as welcome in Wisconsin as a 35-degree day.

It began when Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who works mostly with the offense, said he would be communicating a vision of what the defense should look like to coordinator Dom Capers. That doesn't mean McCarthy will be more involved with the defense on a day-to-day basis, though it does suggest he will be setting an overall agenda rather than leaving Capers to his own devices.

A subsequent report from NFL.com said the Packers wanted to get smaller on the defensive line, changing from 330-pound run-stuffers such as B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly to more mobile athletes capable of lining up in multiple positions. At the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, however, both McCarthy and Capers shot down the notion they want to get smaller up front.

At the same time, they shed some light on the Packers' plans to improve a defense that ranked 25th in the NFL. McCarthy made it clear he wants Capers to do a better job of utilizing his personnel, of planning with so many moving parts, of giving players more than one role in an effort to keep up with today's fast-paced offenses. McCarthy wants a front that has more creativity and flexibility, not unlike the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

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There are plenty of mixed signals coming from the Packers on this topic and their true approach to fixing their defense is hard to decipher. However, from my vantage point, it sounds like McCarthy wants Capers to stop being so dogmatic about his 3-4 scheme and start building the defense around the talents of his players.

If that's the case, then the Packers' first order of business on defense is clear: They should re-sign Raji, one of four Green Bay linemen who will hit unrestricted free agency March 11.

OK, you can stop laughing now. While it is true Raji in 2013 had quite possibly the worst contract year in the history of professional sports, the Packers should try to keep him around because, if used differently, he could still become the explosive, disruptive player they thought he was when they made him the ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Raji reportedly turned down an $8 million-a-year contract extension from the Packers last year and, after he had 15 solo tackles and no sacks in the regular season, it's hard to see him getting that much in free agency now. But if the price isn't unreasonable, there is no need for the Packers to find a nose tackle elsewhere.

For one thing, general manager Ted Thompson's policy has always been to retain the players who were drafted and developed by the team. Raji had four solid and occasionally spectacular seasons for the Packers before falling off in 2013. Still, at 27, he's in the prime of his career age-wise and the Packers should take advantage of it.

Second, Raji's declining performance is not entirely his fault. Capers wants his linemen to be two-gapping run-stuffers whose primary job is to occupy blockers and give the linebackers room to make tackles. That's not Raji, and it never has been. If the Packers are indeed going to emphasize playing to their players' strengths, they should devise ways to let him shoot through gaps and be disruptive. Raji was a good soldier who bit his tongue last season even though it was clear he wasn't happy about the way he was being used, so a change in approach likely would spur a change in his attitude and in his productivity.

Finally, comments made by Arizona State nose tackle Will Sutton confirmed the Packers aren't looking to get smaller up front. The athletic Sutton, a potential first-round draft pick, played at 320 pounds last season before dropping to 303 for the combine. The Packers told him they would want him back at 320 if they drafted him, which indicates they don't want smaller linemen as much as they want more active linemen. Well, Raji is more active than Pickett, Jolly or C.J. Wilson, all of whom will be free agents as well.

It's obvious by now Raji is never going to be the dynamic interior lineman his draft position suggested he should be. So what? If Capers is going to be more flexible this season, surely he can find a way to tweak his scheme and take advantage of Raji's athletic gifts.

With the NFL salary cap projected to be $130 million and the Packers expected to be about $30 million under that, they will have significant financial flexibility in free agency. That means bringing back big-ticket free agents such as Raji and cornerback Sam Shields won't break the budget.

If the Packers are serious about repairing their broken defense, re-signing Raji and changing his role to better suit his talents would be a good place to start.